Pueblo authorities arrested seven people after discovering five more homes with suspected illegal marijuana grow operations

Published: May 18, 2016, 7:44 pm • Updated: May 19, 2016, 5:20 pm

By Jesse Paul, The Denver Post

Pueblo County authorities arrested seven people on Tuesday night after discovering five more homes with suspected illegal marijuana grow operations, officials say.

Gayle Perez, spokeswoman for the county sheriff’s office, said 214 cannabis plants and another 50 pounds of dried pot were seized as part of the operations. The operations were worth a combined estimated $1.3 million, authorities said in a news release.

Many of those arrested have had ties to Florida, some also with connections to Cuba. The majority of the busts have been made at Pueblo West homes.

The raids also come among a string of similar police operations in southern Colorado and across the state over the past several months and as federal and local authorities clamp down on marijuana being illegally grown in homes.